Department of Anthropology

Anthropology, the study of humankind, attempts to establish useful information and generalizations about people, their behavior and their cultural and biological origins, in order to arrive at the fullest possible understanding of human diversity.

Study in these three disciplines is interwoven so students come to see the whole picture of humankind: how humans have evolved, what problems they face, what solutions are possible, and what the future might hold. Anthropology majors must complete 36 hours of coursework.

A course in statistics is required so students will be able to interpret research findings. A course which gives students practical experience in the field, such as an internship or independent study, is part of the curriculum.

Anthropology Minor: It's also possible to minor in anthropology to support a major in another field. Students must complete 18 credit hours:

ANTHRO200, 210, 220

Plus: 9 credits of ANTHRO electives

Archaeology Minor: A new minor added to our curriculum requires core anthropology and geology courses; plus a variety of electives from anthropology, geology, biology, and art history. Students must complete 23 credit hours:

Anthropology Contacts

Teaching Philosophy

BU's anthropology faculty, who see classroom teaching as their primary professional responsibility, are dedicated to making their classes informative, well-organized, relevant, and interesting. They are known for their enthusiasm in the classroom, as well as for their professional expertise. The anthropology department encourages small classes, one-on-one associations between faculty and students, and student involvement in anthropology, both in and out of the classroom. Anthropology majors aren't just names in a grade book; they're well-known to the faculty who take a personal interest in their academic development and progress.

Honors project introduces anthropology to children

A new anthropology program with an archaeology twist brought to Camp Victory this summer as part of its Nature Center activities, courtesy of this Husky’s honors research. Summer intern and anthropology major, Anne Snyder, in conjunction with Susan Dauria, professor of anthropology, created a curriculum to teach children about local Native American Culture, history and archaeology. The new curriculum at is being utilized as part of Camp Victory’s Nature Center activities.

The summer experience served as both Snyder’s honors project and a research practicum she needs as part of her anthropology major (research track). She is a double major with anthropology and psychology. The creation of this curriculum is part of a move of Dauria’s archaeology summer camp program (that began in 2010 with Quest), to Camp Victory.

Assistant professor helps with Vietnam War photo exhibit

As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” But those words can differ by interpretation. With this in mind, David Fazzino, assistant professor of anthropology, aimed to contextualize a local Vietnam War veteran’s experience through his personal 300-photo collection using anthropology — focusing on the interconnection between an individual, society and culture.

Fazzino went with an oral history approach. He got in-depth accounts of Blaine Cooper’s stories of Vietnam, which allowed for an accurate representation of his thoughts and reality depicted in the photos. For three months last year, Cooper and Fazzino met several times each week to discuss the photos. With nearly five decades between taking the photos and many years passing since considering the particular image, the task was to work through the more than 300 photos Cooper donated to Bloomsburg University and put some of his story and association with each image.

“While discussing another matter our attention returned numerous times to a powerful image: Blaine and his fellow soldiers on the quad,” Fazzino said. “Like anything good, it drew both of us in, wanting more, and with this excitement of possibility, of attaining more knowledge.”